Straight bar knitting machines



Sept. 9, 1969 R. BLOOD STRAIGHT BAR KNITTING MACHINES 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 5, 1967 Sept. 9, 1969 R. moon STRAIGHT BAR KNITTING MACHINES 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 5. 1967 & 3S Mmfi 1 N \TIII... 1 4 Q M 6% T qbw m u M Q w m w mmdnmm A y E j I I mm J W PM m\ rmW 2 @w i [MP 5% 5 @n m? a 5 m Q?) W a? m .3 Q a 8 A? Sept 9, 1969 R. BLOOD 3,465,548

STRAIGHT BAR KNITTING MACHINES Filed Dec. 5, 1967 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Sept, 9, 1969 R. BLOOD 3,465,548

STRAIGHT BAR KNITTING MACHINES Filed Dec. 5, 1967 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 Cfi (r c0 Sept. 9, 1969 BLOOD 3,465,548

STRAIGHT BAR KNITTING MACHINES Filed D60. 5, 1967 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 United States Patent 3,465,548 STRAIGHT BAR KNITTING MACHINES Raymond Blood, Loughborough, Leicestershire, England, assignor to William Cotton Limited Filed Dec. 5, 1967, Ser. No. 688,079 Claims priority, application Great Britain, Dec. 8, 1966, 54,905 66 Int. Cl. D04b 9/40 US. Cl. 66-148 7 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A straight bar knitting machine rib transfer point bar conveyor wherein for driving a train of interlinked carriages for the point bars on a stationary rail between stations at front and rear of the machine, with intermediate dummy carriages for a central non-knitting section of the machine and end dummy carriages, the carriages have spaced projecting pegs for progressive releasable engagement with the middle one of a triple roller chain device whereof the outer chains are motor driven through a brake device.

This invention is for improvements in or relating to straight bar knitting machines, and concerns conveyor means by which rib transfer bars, when loaded with ribs at an end loading station, are conveyed to respective knitting heads where the ribs are transferred to the needles, and by which the empty transfer bars are conveyed from the knitting heads to the loading station, and so on.

Our British Patent No. 890,231 discloses this arrangment wherein a guide rail extends around the machine and two trains of carriages for the rib transfer bars are conveyed under control of electric rails and manually and automatically operated electric switches in an electric control circuit. In this arrangement the transfer of the rib transfer bars, to and from the conveyor and a transfer mechanism in each knitting head, is effected by the machine operator.

Our British Patent No. 955,091 discloses a modified arrangement in which there is an endless conveyor chain which extends around the machine and is electrically controlled to propel the carriages along the guide rail, and transfer mechanisms in the knitting heads are such that they effect the transfer of the rib transfer bars to and from themselves and the conveyor carriage automatically.

While both these arrangements are satisfactory in use they are somewhat complex in requiring a considerable number of co-related parts which adds undesirably in some instances to the cost of the machine.

An object of the invention is to provide conveyor means for rib transfer bars which is comparatively simple in construction such as not to be unduly costly.

The invention provides, in a straight bar knitting machine, rib transfer bar conveyor means comprising at least one train of carriages to which the rib transfer bars are removably attachable and which have runners, a guide rail extending about the machine for guiding the train of carriages by their runners riding along the rails, and drive means for driving the train of carriages comprising a driving device with which each carriage in turn has interruptable motion transmitting relationship. Convenient ly the drive means comprises a travelling endless chain device providing spaced holes for releasable reception of spaced pegs carried by each carriage, the spacing between consecutive pegs being not greater than the length of a lap of the chain. The chain travel is conveniently under control of a manually adjustable brake. In a modified arrangement the drive means is a suitable form of linear 3,465,548 Patented Sept. 9, 1969 motor effecting traverse of the conveyor by induction. Conveniently the train of carriages will have a plurality of dummy end carriages (with the pegs if the chain drive is used) allowing for initial and final control of the train of carriages when the remaining carriages are disposed at the respective knitting heads, the drive means being at the rear of an end of the machine and conveniently at the rib loading end of the machine. There may also be a plurality of dummy carriages for registry with a central non-knitting section of the machine. The chain device is conveniently of triple construction, comprising front and rear chains running on front and rear sprocket wheels respectively and an intermediate chain connected laterally to the outer chains and providing the spaced holes. The chain device is conveniently reciprocated either manually by a hand lever, or automatically by a variablespeed electric motor under suitable electric switch control.

The train of carriages is conveniently formed by a plurality of carriages interconnected by links, and the pegs are conveniently on bars attached to the carriages.

The above and other features of the invention set out in the appended claims are incorporated in the construction will now be described, as a specific embodiment with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a general perspective view of a straight bar knitting machine having conveyor means according to the invention.

FIGURE 2 is a diagrammatic plan view of the conveyor means in operative position.

FIGURE 3 is a similar view to FIGURE 2 with the conveyor in inoperative position.

FIGURE 4 is a cross sectional view of the conveyor means on line 4-4 of FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 5 is a plan view of a rear part of the conveyor means.

FIGURE 6 is a rear view of the rear part of the conveyor means.

FIGURE 7 is an enlarged perspective view of part of drive means for the conveyor.

FIGURE 8 is a cross sectional view of the drive means.

Referring to FIGURES 1 to 3, a straight bar knitting machine is provided basically as disclosed in our British patent No. 955,091 to which reference is directed for the basic details. The machine has the guide rail 14 of said patent extending around the front, rear and one end of it and supported by brackets secured to it and to the machine.

Mounted on the guide rail 14 is a train of thirteen carriages 1 to 13 comprising one carriage 1 to 4, 7 to 10 for each knitting head of the machine, two dummy carriages 5, 6 for a central non-knitting section of the machine, and three dummy carriages 11 to 13 at one end.

Each carriage 1 to 4 and 7 to 10 has a tray 15 to 22 to receive a rib transfer bar, and at each end of each carriage there is a plurality of runners such as rollers or wheels 23, FIGURES 4, 5 engaging different faces of the guide rail 14 for satisfactory running of the carriages along the rail.

The carriages of each successive pair thereof are interconnected by a coupling link 24 to 35, FIGURES 1 to 3.

Each carriage 1 to 4 and 7 to 10 in this example has a control bar 36 to 48 at an outer location and provided with spaced horizontally projecting pegs 36a to 48a.

At the rear of one end of the machine, where a rib loading machine LS is provided, is an endless chain device 57. The endless chain device, FIGURES 4, 5, 7, 8, is of triple construction comprising front and rear chains 58, 59, of roller chain form, running on front and rear sprocket wheels 60, 61 and 62, 63 resepctively, and an intermediate chain 64, also of roller chain form connected laterally to the front and rear chains. The intermediate chain 64 therefore runs without engaging end sprocket wheels, and the spaces between its rollers provide holes which are releasably engaged by the pegs 36a to 48a along the nearest lap of the chain which is conveniently supported by a bar 65, FIGURE 6, carried by arm brackets 66, 67.

The distance between successive pegs of the carriages is less than the length of the nearest lap of the chain device so that drive connection is progressive to each carriage in turn.

The chain device 57 is driven, FIGURES 4, 5, by an electric motor 68, which can be under substantially the same electric control as disclosed in said Patent No. 955,091, and is connected by endless drive means 69 and a spindle 70 to the sprocket wheels 61, 63. The drive conveniently includes a manually adjustable friction brake 71 for control of inertia when stopping the travelling parts.

Assuming the train of carriages to be in the inoperative position on the guide rail at the rear of the machine, as in FIGURE 3, the three dummy carriages 11 to 13 will be at the end of the guide rail 14 opposite from that of the rib loading station LS, and the carriage 18 will be engaged by its pegs 39a with the driving chain 64. The train is driven round, when required, to the front of the machine, FIGURE 2, carrying the rib transfer bars TB to the respective knitting heads. Connection with the driving chain is maintained by the trailing dummy carriages 11 to 13 until the drive is stopped, with a peg 48a of the last dummy carriage engaged with the driving chain ready for repeat operation in reverse to the inoperative position.

The chain device may have fitted to it a handle so that its reciprocation can be effected by hand, if desired.

The conveyor means, according to the invention, is considerably less complex than the earlier proposed arrangements hereinbefore referred to and consequently the provision of the present conveyor means does not add unduly either to the initial cost or to maintenance of the machine.

It is to be understood that the arrangement particularly described can be modified without departing from the invention. For example the intermediate chain may be provided with spaced pegs and the carriage links with complementary holes where the pegs were in the first described arrangement. In another example the chain device may be dispensed with and in its place could be provided a linear motor device effecting traverse of the train of carriages by induction.

What I claim is:

1. A straight bar knitting machine having in combination a plurality of knitting sections, a stationary guide rail extending along the front, rear and one end of the machine, a train of carriages on said stationary guide rail, means inter-linking the carriages of said train, a reversible driving member having spaced drive elements and of a length substantially corresponding to that of one of said carriages and situated at the rear of said one end of the machine, and said carriages having spaced drive elements and being of a number to extend at one time one in front of each knitting section with additional carriages providing an end carriage having its end drive element in drive relation with a drive element of said driving member, whereby said drive elements of said driving member in their travel have drive relation in successive manner with said drive elements of said carriages to drive said train from the front to the rear of the machine and vice versa.

2. A straight bar knitting machine having in combination a plurality of knitting sections, a stationary guide 4 rail extending along the front and rear and one end of the machine, a train of carriages on said stationary guide rail, means interlinking the carriages of said train to provide in a front position of the train one carriage opposite each knitting section and additional carriages along said one end of the machine, and means for driving said train between said front position and a rear position and vice versa comprising a pair of spaced drive elements on opposite end parts of each said carriage, and a reversible driving device having a reversible driving member of substantially the same length as one of said carriages, means mounting said driving element at the rear of said one end of the machine, and drive elements on said driving member which are adapted for successive drive relation with said drive elements on said carriages in an alternating sequence of one and two at a time.

3. A machine as claimed in claim 2 wherein each carriage for said knitting sections has a tray for a rib transfer bar, and additional carriages for extending the length of the train to said driving member are dummy carriages devoid of trays.

4. A machine as claimed in claim 3 wherein said drive member is a roller chain having gaps between the roller providing said drive elements of the drive member, and said drive elements of said carriages are pegs.

5. A machine as claimed in claim 3 wherein said drive member is a triple chain comprising outer roller chains on driven sprocket wheels and an inner roller chain providing said spaced drive elements.

6. A machine as claimed in claim 3 wherein said triple chain is reciprocatable by a hand lever.

7. A straight bar knitting machine comprising in combination a plurality of knitting heads, a centrol non-knitting section, an end rib loader, a bracket supported guide rail extending about the front, rear and the rib loader end of the machine, a train of carriages consisting of a carriage for each said knitting section, two central dummy carriages for said central non-knitting section, and three end dummy carriages for extending round said rib loader end of the machine, each said carriage having an inner tray for a rib transfer bar and a plurality of end rollers or wheels engaging different faces of said guide rail, a plurality of coupling links interconnecting said carriages, a plurality of outer control bars on said carriages respectively, equally spaced end pegs on each said control bar, a triple endless chain device at a rear part of said rib loader end of the machine consisting of two outer chains on sprocket wheels and an inner chain providing an endless series of holes, means mounting said triple chain to provide a lap of said inner chain of a length which is a small distance greater than the spacing of a pair of successive ones of said pegs, electric means for driving said chain device in opposite directions for spaced ones of said series of holes to be engaged by said pegs successively to drive said train of carriages between front and rear of the machine, each peg being thus engaged in turn before its next leading peg becomes disengaged from said inner chain.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,388,564 6/1968 Sanders 66158 FOREIGN PATENTS 814,097 5/1959 Great Britain. 879,643 10/ 1961 Great Britain.

955,091 4/ 1964 Great Britain.

RONALD FELDMAN, Primary Examiner 

